LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern baseball team (4-1) will return to action for a four-game series against West Alabama (6-4) at the NSU Baseball Complex on Friday at 6 p.m. The Sharks will face the Tigers in a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m., and a single game on Sunday, at noon.
The Sharks are coming off eight days without a game after last weekend’s series against Valdosta State was cancelled. Prior to that weekend, the Sharks defeated the Florida Memorial Lions at home, 7-1.
Areo Regoli (Sr., Homestead, Fla.) went 3-for-4 in the game with two solo home runs.
The game was a solid representation of what the Sharks have been able to produce over their first five games. The Sharks put seven runs on the board, below their average of 8.6 runs per game, and held down the opposition with dominant pitching. Head coach
Greg Brown dug deep into his bullpen and used six pitchers against the Lions, all of which combined to hold the opponent to a single run.
Pitching has been the most outstanding aspect of the team so far in 2012. The Sharks are carrying an ERA of 0.84 and have held opposing batters to a .183 average. The improvement on the mound can be attributed to the growth of young returners and the abundance of new arms.
Zachary Westcott (So., Weston, Fla.) stepped up in his season debut against Albany State, pitching six scoreless innings while only allowing three hits. Newcomer
Mike Gonzalez (Jr., Miami, Fla.) has pitched eight innings in two appearances and has not allowed a run this season.
The depth of the staff will get their biggest test of the season over the next four games against the Tigers. UWA will ride plenty of momentum down to South Florida as they have won their last six games. They have defeated regional opponents in Georgia Southwestern and Miles during their streak.
The Sharks will be looking to exact revenge on UWA, as their trip to Livingston, Ala. did not go as planned in 2011. The Sharks were defeated three times in four games, a weekend that dropped the Sharks’ record to 8-6 overall. The Sharks would regroup and win their next seven games en route to the program’s first appearance in the NCAA South Regional Championship.
Despite the rough outcome, some NSU returners had success against the Tigers.
Ray Navarro (Sr., Miami, Fla.) batted .375 in the series last season and held an on-base percentage of .545.
Sean Tighe (Sr., Hobe Sound, Fla.), this year’s closer, held a 1.50 ERA with seven strikeouts over six innings pitched against UWA.
All four games of the weekend series can viewed via live video
HERE. Live stats will also be available
HERE. Follow the NSU Baseball team on Twitter at
www.Twitter.com/NSU_Baseball.
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